Education category, Page 69
Anti-mask protest disrupts Utah school district meeting
PROVO, Utah — School district officials in northern Utah have said a public meeting in American Fork was disrupted by protesters who characterized the use of masks and facial coverings in schools “child abuse.” Alpine School District Superintendent Assistant Kimberly Bird said the protesters were welcome to participate in the...
Appeals court clears Harvard of racial bias in admissions
BOSTON — A federal appeals court on Thursday upheld a ruling clearing Harvard University of discrimination against Asian American applicants. Two judges on the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston rejected claims from an anti-affirmative action group that accuses the Ivy League University of imposing a “racial penalty”...
Hempfield officials reworking middle school surveys prior to full return
Hempfield Area School District officials are modifying surveys sent to middle school parents after several people expressed interest in keeping with the hybrid model. Responses to the surveys, sent out at the end of October, will be used to determine how many students will make a full return to the...
Pitt students react to shifting guidelines, shelter-in-place
As the University of Pittsburgh tightens covid-19 restrictions amid rising infection levels, some students say they aren’t all that surprised. “All of this is unfortunate but not completely unexpected,” said Eric Macadangdang, a senior Pitt student and president of the student government. “But it’s completely necessary.” The university moved its...
Kiski Area High School reports another coronavirus case
A student at Kiski Area High School tested positive for coronavirus, the school district said Friday. The high school will remain open. According to a letter to district families, the Department of Health was contacted and is identifying close contacts of the student. Kiski Area reported at least seven infections...
Convention centers, museums become classrooms amid pandemic
MISSION, Kan. — In ordinary times, the airy convention center on a 61-acre site in Hesston, Kansas, hosts weddings, corporate retreats and church events. During the pandemic, it has become a schoolhouse for the district’s seventh- and eighth-graders. Megan Kohlman teaches literature and writing inside one of the rooms, separated...
NSF grant will help STEM programming in Pittsburgh, Baltimore
A $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation will help leaders in Baltimore and Pittsburgh work to develop new STEM learning programs at their recreation centers. The grant, awarded to the Baltimore-based Digital Harbor Foundation, will help the foundation build on its programs in the cities. Science, technology, engineering...
Westmoreland officials deciding fate of 4K questionable ballots; 3,600 provisional ballots to be counted Friday
Westmoreland County elections officials on Thursday night continued to individually review by hand 4,000 potentially defective mail-in ballots that were set aside earlier this week. Elections Bureau Director JoAnn Sebastiani said it appears most of those ballots looked at so far have been approved for counting with only a small...
2 more covid-19 cases reported at Hempfield Area High School
Two coronavirus cases were reported at Hempfield Area High School this week, district officials said. According to Superintendent Tammy Wolicki, one high school teacher and one student tested positive for the virus. Those who were determined to have been in close contact with the infected individuals were contacted by the...
California University of Pennsylvania to offer some classes in person this spring
California University of Pennsylvania, which shuttered its campus last spring and went to online learning this fall, will resume in-person classes for about half of the school’s undergraduate courses when the spring semester begins, officials said Monday. The state-owned university in Washington County that enrolled about 6,900 students this fall...
Hempfield officials take steps toward welcoming middle school students back daily
Officials at the Hempfield Area School District are gearing up for the possibility of middle school students returning to a more regular schedule. Surveys sent out last week by Matthew Conner, assistant superintendent for secondary education, ask parents if they will send their children back to school daily or commit...
Oct. 30: Here is covid-19 data from selected Western Pa. colleges
Western Pennsylvania is home community to several colleges and universities, attracting students from around the state and country. During the coronavirus pandemic, many are tracking the number of positive covid-19 cases as they emerge on campus. University of Pittsburgh Enrollment: About 35,000 students New cases: There were 25 student cases...
Indiana University of Pennsylvania notifies 81 faculty members of pending job losses
Indiana University of Pennsylvania on Friday notified 81 faculty members — including the entire faculties of several departments — that they will be out of work at the end of the academic year. Although IUP officials previously announced the proposed job cuts, actual notices went out Friday to those slated...
Actor Lori Loughlin reports to prison in college scam
BOSTON — “Full House” actor Lori Loughlin has reported to a federal prison in California to begin serving her two-month sentence for her role in the college admissions bribery scandal, authorities said Friday. The U.S. Attorney’s office in Boston said Loughlin was being processed at the federal lockup in Dublin,...
Pitt joins initiative to develop more diversity among faculty in STEM fields
The University of Pittsburgh is joining an initiative to develop a more diverse and inclusive STEM faculty. Pitt is one of 19 universities joining a three-year program to develop inclusive faculty recruitment, hiring and retention. The Aspire: The National Alliance for Inclusive & Diverse STEM Faculty program is facilitated by...
Pitt Library System acquires August Wilson archive
An adage taken from the title of a Thomas Wolfe novel states, “You can’t go home again.” However, August Wilson is doing just that. Or at least his archive is. The University of Pittsburgh Library System (ULS) has acquired the August Wilson archive with the help of Wilson’s widow, Constanza...
Duquesne suspends all Greek Life activity after covid protocol violations
Duquesne University has canceled all fraternity and sorority activity for the rest of the semester after officials said Greek organizations repeatedly violated covid-19 precautions. In a letter to students, Senior Vice President for Student Life Douglas Frizzell said that several Greek organizations had committed “repeated and egregious violations of the...
Coronavirus surge forces Westmoreland schools to decide on in-person, fully remote learning
Under guidelines from the state departments of education and health, school districts in counties with a “substantial” rate of community coronavirus spread are advised to revert to fully remote classes. The decision, however, rests with school districts. The county on Friday marked a second week of “substantial” coronavirus transmission levels...
Pittsburgh Public Schools extends remote learning for most students until Jan. 4
Some Pittsburgh Public School students will return to face-to-face instruction Monday, Nov. 9 under a phased hybrid approach approved by the school board Wednesday evening. But the majority will stay in remote learning until at least Jan. 4, 2021. Under the school’s new plan, students are broken into four groups,...
IUP restructuring plan to close 5 fine arts programs, reduce faculty
Indiana University of Pennsylvania will close five fine arts programs as it works to restructure in the face of a decade of declining enrollment and a projected $16 million budget shortfall, officials said Wednesday. University President Michael Driscoll, who has dubbed the effort the IUP NextGen plan, said the university...
Pitt students asked to ‘shelter-in-place’ before Thanksgiving break
University of Pittsburgh students have been asked to shelter in place for 14 days leading up to Thanksgiving break, according to an email sent Monday morning from the school’s Covid-19 Medical Response Office. “There is an increased risk of spreading and contracting the virus when traveling and interacting with people...
Oct. 23: Here is covid-19 data from Western Pa. colleges
Western Pennsylvania is home community to several colleges and universities, attracting students from around the state and country. During the coronavirus pandemic, many are tracking the number of positive covid-19 cases as they emerge on campus. University of Pittsburgh Enrollment: Approximately 35,000 students Number of new cases: There were 17...
Steel Valley School District changes reopening plan
Students at Steel Valley School District can soon attend class in-person most of the week – but only for half the day. The district unveiled an updated reopening plan this week, which will go into effect on Nov. 4. Students will be broken into groups for a hybrid model. One...
Pittsburgh Public Schools move forward with in-person learning in NovemberVideo
Pittsburgh Public Schools are poised to begin a hybrid form of in-person learning on Nov. 9. The district is making the move despite a fall rise in covid-19 cases in Pennsylvania that was expected. The surge in cases, at least in Allegheny County, doesn’t mean the district should not move...
Founded in Wilkinsburg, Scholastic magazine celebrates 100 years of educating children
The first issue of Scholastic was born in Wilkinsburg on Oct. 22, 1920. Maurice R. “Robbie” Robinson started the publication as a four-page magazine about high school sports called The Western Pennsylvania Scholastic. The Wilkinsburg resident had just graduated from Dartmouth College, after spending more than a year in the...
